Auckland Grammar first state school to reject NCEA exams

[StephenG]

Don't get me wrong - I like the concept of a reward (I mean we all need one really).

But there is no emphasis on what that reward is, so kids naturally think its money. So when they don't get money - they give up.

Going slightly off-topic...

[SMOKEU]

Teenagers aways think "The system is bullshit" ... it's a reflection on the nature of teenagers, rather than a reflection on the system ... any system ...

Yeah, but I'm not a teenager.

[Gibbo89]

NCEA is not a good system at all, I remember at school there was the subject 'Agriculture' and some fella told me that if you could reverse a quad bike with a trailer attached, through some cones; you'd score yourself something like 4 credits. Yet, you could go sit a probability exam that was say an hour long, and only get 3 credits.

Also, I remember a few years a go there was a news item on Campbell or Sainsbury's show where school students gained credits by picking up rubbish.

Have a read of thishttp://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-t...NCEA-standards

[MSTRS:Me]

Also, I remember a few years a go there was a news item on Campbell or Sainsbury's show where school students gained credits by picking up rubbish.

Yep...the world famous Cambridge system...

[oneofsix]

NCEA is not a good system at all, I remember at school there was the subject 'Agriculture' and some fella told me that if you could reverse a quad bike with a trailer attached, through some cones; you'd score yourself something like 4 credits. Yet, you could go sit a probability exam that was say an hour long, and only get 3 credits.

Also, I remember a few years a go there was a news item on Campbell or Sainsbury's show where school students gained credits by picking up rubbish.

Have a read of thishttp://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-t...NCEA-standards

Credits for picking up rubbish got the principal sacked, caused scandal (how else did our investigative reporters find out about it?).
the credits apply to the subject like any other system so 4 ag credits might be worth more to a farmer than 3 statistics credits. The trouble is that the 4 ag credits means that kid is 1 credit and a lot less work closure to saying they have Level x NCEA than the kid that did the 3 stats credits - IMHO

[Banditbandit]

Yeah, but I'm not a teenager.

If you did NCEA stuff in 2010 then good chance you're a teenager ... if you're doing NCEA last year and you're older than that ... then you go figure what you are (or maybe you're not bright enough to figure it out ...)

[Banditbandit]

Credits for picking up rubbish got the principal sacked, caused scandal (how else did our investigative reporters find out about it?).
the credits apply to the subject like any other system so 4 ag credits might be worth more to a farmer than 3 statistics credits. The trouble is that the 4 ag credits means that kid is 1 credit and a lot less work closure to saying they have Level x NCEA than the kid that did the 3 stats credits - IMHO

Yes and No . it depends what people want a high school qqualification to tell them ...

Unlike School Certificate, holding a level 2 or 3 NCEA bit of paper is meaningless in itself - an employer has to know what the credits are in ... and that's a hassle for a hard working employer looking at recruiting as they haven't got time to have an indepth look at NCEA bits of paper ...

At tertiary level all our programmes specify which NCEA credits and at what levels are required for entry - a simple 80 credits is not enough as they can be in subjects which are fucking useless preparation for tertiary study.

[oneofsix]

Yes and No . it depends what people want a high school qqualification to tell them ...

Unlike School Certificate, holding a level 2 or 3 NCEA bit of paper is meaningless in itself - an employer has to know what the credits are in ... and that's a hassle for a hard working employer looking at recruiting as they haven't got time to have an indepth look at NCEA bits of paper ...

yeah I will concede that, its hard enough for a parent and probably why more parents seem to be less interested in their kids schooling. The parents aren't less interested, just too confused, well some anyhow.

[HenryDorsetCase]

As a student of the 60s and 70s have I ever done an exam? Probably more than you have had hot breakfasts.

I dunno, I've had a LOT of hot breakfasts..........


mmmmm breakfast...........................

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[Little Miss Trouble]

I have both School Cert and NCEA. My teachers saw that my year group were going to be the first to be lumped with 'testing out the system' so us 'gifted' students were given the opportunity to sit School C in fourth form, err, year 10. Unfortunately for some stupid reason, instead of then allowing us to continue on to 6th form level we had to sit NCEA level 1

[Squiggles]

Only a few years ago I watched half my mates bomb in Cambridge AS at that very school (They were in the upper streams too).

[SMOKEU]

If you did NCEA stuff in 2010 then good chance you're a teenager ... if you're doing NCEA last year and you're older than that ... then you go figure what you are (or maybe you're not bright enough to figure it out ...)

Plenty of adults go back to school to do NCEA stuff. Maybe you're not bright enough to figure that out for yourself.

[avgas]

that was fine apart from the "no offense"

Yeah its ironic that, that line has been taken out of context in last few years.

What I should have said so it was not misconstrued would be "We think of you as young , take this as a compliment"

[avgas]

Sounds like a good way to make the choice .. pick someone who knows exactly what they have done - then they might actually know what they are doing ...

Tis the sad truth with employers these days though. If you don't act "type a" you don't get the job.

When I think back to the last few jobs I got, in the interview I was a real prick - even demanded more money. But I never got the jobs I really wanted because in those I did not sound confident enough.

But then again from what I have learnt from the whole HR process - many who work in or deal with HR (especially in recruitment) should not even be near the process. But their role/position put them there.

[PrincessBandit]

I don't mind the internal assessment stuff as some people do best in that situation - they are good students but "lose it" in exam pressure. I think there is room for both.

What I have found at training college is that we are supposed to get students to move higher up Bloom's taxonomy, getting away from the "regurgitate from memory" data (memorisation being the lowest level on the scale) to creative thinking and self-driven exploration and working things out for themselves. The problem with that it places a low priority on being able to memorise things for future recall, quite an important ability I would have thought!